Chapter 12 Taylor
Taylor heaved a huge sigh of relief as she walked away from the crowd.
“Lane, Colton, and Willow can deal with all of that. They’re used to it,” Taylor said to herself.
It was hard to believe that she was in the middle of New York. There wasn’t all of the traffic noise that she had imagined there would be. Roses, peonies, and other bushes had many different colored blooms, and the air was sweet with the scent of the flowers.
She stopped in front of a gazebo that was covered in winding vines with multicolored blooms. Four gargoyles sat atop the structure. Gargoyle fountains were on either side of the gazebo, spouting water. A strobe light at the base of the fountain changed the color of the water.
“I love gargoyles. I’m going to have to get some when I get the ranch back,” Taylor told herself. “I will definitely have to figure out how to do a fountain like this.”
Taylor thought about sitting down inside the gazebo and hanging out but was afraid that Lane wouldn’t be able to find her.
Everyone loves a good game of hide and go seek, right?
She was startled by three sharp pokes in the center of her back. Taylor turned around to see a woman standing there with a nasty look on her face. Her platinum blond hair was perfectly curled and she wore more makeup than Taylor had in her entire lifetime. Taylor was sure that the diamonds that gleamed from the woman’s body would pay for her ranch. As a matter of fact, the cost of her tailor-made clothes would almost cover the cost.
“I’m Rachel,” she said, looking down her nose at Taylor.
“I’m…”
“I know who you are, Taylor,” the woman said.
Taylor didn’t even bother holding her hand out to shake. Rachel would either sneer at it or put out her hand like a princess.
“How did you meet Lane?”
“We are both in the ranching business,” Taylor said.
“I just wanted to give you a warning. Lane and I have known each other forever and we were meant to be together. He’ll end up dumping you for me,” she said.
Taylor grinned. “Really, now?”
Rachel narrowed her eyes, obviously annoyed by Taylor’s amusement.
She looked Taylor up and down and sneered. “Everyone can tell that you’re low class and don’t belong. He is clearly out of your league.”
Shaking her head, Taylor smirked. “Thank you for your feedback. I will take it under advisement.”
Rachel’s growl turned into a sweet smile when Lane walked up behind Taylor, put his arm around her shoulders, and kissed her on the cheek.
“How are you, Rachel,” Lane asked, his voice cold.
The woman glared at Taylor for half a second and then said, “I’m doing great now that you’re here. I’ve missed you.”
“Glad you are doing well,” Lane said.
He started to say something to Taylor, but Rachel cut him off. “I was thinking of visiting you. You could show me all the sights around Colorado Springs and Denver. We could have a great time.”
“I’m sorry, but I’m much too busy with the ranch. There are a lot of wonderful tour guides who would be able to show you whatever you want to see. I’m sure you would enjoy staying at a high-end resort, bed and breakfast, or fancy hotel,” Lane said. “I’m sure we’ll see you around.”
Lane guided Taylor back to the mansion, leaving Rachel standing alone, fuming, glaring at their backs.
“You will have to patch up all the burn holes in my back from her looks,” Taylor laughed.
They stopped and he pretended to inspect her back. “They are just minor. You’ll heal,” Lane teased. “I’m really sorry about that.”
“It’s no big deal. After all, you’re a big, studly gorgeous man and with your bank account, you’re quite the catch.”
“You think I’m hot, don’t you?” Lane grinned.
“Eh, you’re alright.”
He laughed and pulled her close to him, pressing his lips against hers. She forgot about the rest of the world as he put his hands on the back of her head and back. Taylor wrapped her arms around him.
Lane explored her mouth. Taylor’s knees felt weak and she was sure that they were going to buckle. The sweet smell of the flowers circled around them, and she was sure she was in heaven. Taylor moaned in the back of her throat.
He lifted his head and said, “Just alright, huh?”
“Okay, maybe a smidge better than that,” Taylor said.
Rachel rushed past them, her nose in the air. She glared at Taylor and sniffed at her as she walked by.
Taylor looked around and noticed that they had an audience. She turned bright pink.
“You look adorable with your cheeks all red like that.”
She punched him lightly in the arm and growled.
The rest of the afternoon and evening was fun. Taylor met the rest of the brothers, who seemed to have the same easy-going laid-back attitude that Lane and Colton had. They must have inherited it from their father. Gene had an easy smile with a quick sense of humor. Caroline was an entirely different character, though. If Taylor didn’t know better, she was sure that Caroline was a speed freak, took meth, and other uppers on the side. She was constantly moving around and she talked so fast that it was sometimes hard to understand her. She melded her words together.
After dinner, Lane took Taylor up to his room where their luggage had been unpacked.
“Wow,” Taylor said. “I could get used to this. Laundry is my least favorite chore.”
“I think that Mom and Dad would have a fit if you tried to take Jenny home. She’s been with the family since I was a baby and is practically one of us.”
Taylor looked at the bed and looked at Lane questioningly.
“Don’t worry about it. The chair is comfortable. I just need a couple of those pillows and a blanket. I’ll be fine,” Lane said.
Taylor breathed a huge sigh of relief.
After breakfast, Lane shows her around New York.
“Those people are naked,” she whispered to Lane, in complete shock. “They are just wearing paint.”
He laughed.“They are naked and they are wearing paint. They are actors and work for tips.”
“Wow,” she said.
She wasn’t sure whether she was relieved or reluctant to go back to the mansion to get ready for the celebration. On one hand, New York was noisy and extremely busy. She wasn’t sure how people found time to meditate or even breathe. On the other hand, going back to the mansion meant that she had to mentally prepare herself to meet all those people in a formal setting.
“I don’t want to embarrass you,” Taylor said. “I don’t know how to act at these things. The most formal celebration I’ve ever been to was my sister’s wedding and my brother’s graduation party.”
“You’ll do fine. Just be your natural charming self and everything will be perfect.”
“I suppose,” Taylor said doubtfully. “I’m just glad that I managed to talk Willow into letting me wear one-inch heels as opposed to those three and four-inch heels she was eying. I’m pretty sure I would have tripped over my own feet.”
The family filled three limousines that drove them to the hotel. People in black suits opened up the car doors and ushered them onto the red carpet that led into the hotel.
Taylor looked around at the crystal chandeliers and leather furniture that graced the lobby. A small fountain in the center featured a unicorn playing in the waves. A group of well-behaved children stared into a koi pond.
“Is this a fifteen-star hotel?” Taylor whispered.
Lane laughed and led her to the ballroom.
She knew that the dress Willow picked out for her was gorgeous. The cobalt blue, off-the-shoulder dress made her eyes stand out. Willow had fixed Taylor’s hair and it fell in soft curls down her back. She had a simple diamond pendant and earrings that had belonged to her mother. However, when she looked around at the dresses the other women wore, which must have cost thousands of dollars, Taylor felt dowdy.
Lane must have read her mind, because he leaned down and said, “You look beautiful. No one here can compare to you.”
They found their seats quickly. Gene sat at one end of the table with Caroline to his right. Lane was to the left of Gene and Taylor sat next to him. The brothers and Willow went down the table alternating back and forth according to their age. This meant that Willow was at the far end of the table.
“Can I move to sit closer to Willow?” Taylor joked.
“Only if you want to give my mother a heart attack,” Lane whispered back.
Dinner was served. The food was incredible. Taylor was pretty sure that Caroline never had a bite because she talked non-stop about the wedding.
“You’ll have to give me your mother’s number,” Caroline said. “I’ll fly her up here or I’ll take a trip to Colorado so we can make all the arrangements. We need to plan the guest list for the wedding and for the reception, the venue, the food, and all that. The three of us will have to go shopping for your wedding dress. It has to be perfect. Willow and your maid of honor can come too. We’ll have to buy dresses and accessories for all of them.”
She never took a single breath in all of that,Taylor thought.
Caroline didn’t stop for the next fifteen minutes. Taylor was pretty sure she didn’t breathe at all.
Finally, Gene managed to say, “You’d better eat. The food is delicious and dinner is almost over.”
“Oh, yeah, right,” Caroline said.
Taylor smiled at the sympathetic glance that Gene shot at her.
The amount of money she is talking about spending on the wedding is enough to buy my ranch ten times over.If Lane and I did decide to get married, I think we should elope to Vegas.
Finally, dinner was over and the plates were cleared. The DJ took his place and thanked everyone for coming and gave accolades to Caroline and Gene Johnson for arranging such a magnificent party. Everyone clapped.
Then, the DJ played the first song and everyone stepped onto the dance floor.
She loved feeling his arm around her waist as they danced around the floor. Their bodies moved together in a slow rhythm. Taylor looked up into Lane’s eyes. Butterflies exploded in her stomach.
I’m falling in love with him.